Anti-stuffing device for pay telephone coin return chute



Feb. 7, H957 NAWMAN 3,302,872

ANTI-STUFFING DEVICE FOR PAY TELEPHONE COIN RETURN CHUTE Filed June 15, 1965 INVENTOR.

ROLL/E B. NAWMAN M W AT RNEVS United States Patent 3,302,872 ANTI-STUFFING DEVICE FOR PAY TELEPHONE COIN RETURN CHUTE Rollie B. Nawman, Piedmont, Calif., assignor to Banner- Nawman, Inc., Oakland, Calif., a corporation of California Filed June 15, 1965, Ser. No. 464,009 4 Claims. (Cl. 232-575) The invention generally relates to a theft-prevention device for coin return apparatus, and is more particularly directed to a device which may be attached to a coin return chute of a pay telephone for preventing an unscrupulous person from placing a wad of paper or other plug into said chute for intercepting coins which would normally be returned through the chute, and then later removing the wad or plug and permitting the coins to freely flow from the chute.

A major problem of telephone companies is the theft of coins from pay telephones. The thefts are accomplished in a number of different ways, but an extremely simple way is by rigging a pay telephone so that coins are blocked from dropping into the coin return chute for return to a customer, such as upon an incompleted call. Annual losses of coins in the United States due to such thefts amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Other expenses connected with these thefts include an increased number of service calls and company policing of the telephones, and in addition, a customer who fails to receive a returned coin will practically always assume that the telephone company is at fault. The coin return rigging may be accomplished by blocking the pay telephone coin return chute with paper or the like pushed upwardly into the chute. Coins are thereby prevented from falling into the coin return bucket. Later, the thief may return and remove the paper so as to permit the previously blocked coins to fall into the coin return bucket, and then take the coins for his own use. Expert thieves are known to rig a pay telephone in a matter of seconds, and later to remove the previously intercepted coins as fast. Detection and capture of such a thief is very difficult for several reasons. The thief is at the telephone only a short time; there are a large number of telephones accessible for such thefts; and when a telephone is as rigged, there is no indication of the wrongful condition of the telephone, and furthermore, the telephone is operable and no part is broken.

In broad terms, the apparatus of the present invention comprises a one-way gate mounted in the coin return chute of a pay telephone. The gate permits coins to freely fall from the chute into the coin return bucket, and yet prevents the stufling of material into the chute from exteriorly of the telephone mechanism.

As will later be described in more detail, the apparatus may be easily installed and releasably yet securely held in place by means of a spring clip or the like. The theftprevention device is especially useful for attachment to installed pay telephones, since it is arranged for attachment without any modification of the installed telephone.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which may be readily installed on an existing pay telephone installation and which will effectively prevent the wrongful stuffing or plugging of a coin return chute so as to prevent the free fall of returned coins. therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described which is simple in construction and operation and which may be placed in operation without modification of the existing equipment.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set 3,3h2,872 Patented Feb. 7, 1967 forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of portions of a conventional pay telephone (shown in dashed outline) with the theft-prevention device of the present invention (shown in solid lines) mounted in the coin return chute thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a left side elevational view of a portion of the telephone of FIGURE 1 with the side of the coin return chute broken away to more clearly show the mounting of the anti-stuffing device in the chute;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of the theft-prevention device.

A theft-prevention or anti-surfing device for coin chutes is generally indicated by the numeral 8 and is especially arranged for attachment to the coin return chute of installed pay telephones; For reasons of simplicity, only the portions of such a telephone pertinent to the invention are shown in the drawing.

The device 8 generally includes a gate 10, a hinge plate 12, and a spring clip 14. The gate 10, plate 12 and clip 14 are operatively mounted in a coin return chute 18 provided in a telephone 19. Coins are inserted by a customer into an upper portion of the telephone apparatus not shown. In the telephone, the coins are diverted by the telephone company operator either to the coin return chute 18, or into a collection box (not shown). Since this portion of a telephone is well known in the art, and forms no part of the present invention, it has been simply shown in somewhat diagrammatic form.

When coins are diverted into chute 18 in which the device 8 has been installed, they fall down the chute and strike the gate 10 which is hinged to the plate 12. Pay telephones are so mounted that the gate 10 normally hangs in a vertical plane as shown in FIGURE 2. Upon being struck by a coin, the gate 10 swings outward or counterclockwise in the direction of the arrow A to permit the coin to drop into a chamber 21 of a coin receiving means such as a coin collection bucket 22 which normally is in the position shown. The gate 10 may swing only counterclockwise from the position shown since the hinge construction does not permit contra movement. It will also be noted that the lower edge of the gate is normally positioned adjacent a lower wall 24 of the chute 18.

The bucket 22 is pivoted at 26 to a pair of frame plates 27, the left one of which plates is removed in FIGURE 2. The bucket is formed with a ridge 23 around the periphery for engagement with a mating depression in a block 29, which block is fastened to the frame plates 27. The bucket 22 includes a handle 31 by which the bucket may be manually rotated clockwise until the chamber 21 is in an exposed position for removal of the coins.

Prior to installation of the device 8, a thief may block normal return of coins through chute 18 and into bucket 22 by simply stuffing material up into the chute 18. A telephone may be stuffed by first rotating the bucket 22 clockwise to a position in which the mouth of the chamber 21 is just opposite the block 29. In this position, an instrument such as flexible wire may be used to stuff material, such as paper, along a path generally indicated by arrows B and C, which path runs between the block 29 and bucket 22. Expert thieves are thus able to block the lower end of chute 18, and with the chute so blocked, all coins intended to be returned to the user will remain in the chute 18. The thief later may remove the material with the same instrument along the same path or even burn the paper in the chute and then collect all of the coins so blocked.

The above described thefts may be prevented by use of the theft-prevention device of this invention. The oneway gate 10 is provided to permit coins to fall from the chute 18 into the bucket chamber 21, yet the gate prevents foreign material from being stuffed up the chute. The gate 10 is pivotally supported on the hinge plate 12 by means of two bent-over ears 36 provided on the plate. The ears are engaged with short axles 37 which are formed in the gate 10 by slotting the paper portion thereof. The hinge plate 12 is formed for mating engagement with an upper wall 39 of the chute 18 and is held in place by the spring clip 14.

With the gate 10' and plate 12 installed, the gate may be moved only in the direction of the arrow A (FIGURE 2). Any attempt to move the gate counterclockwise, which would be necessary to stuff paper up the chute 18, is prevented by the hinge arrangement between the gate and plate. The hinging arrangement is such as to cause the upper portion of the gate between the axles 37 to bear against the edge of plate 12 between the ears 36.

Of special note is the ease by which the gate 10 may be assembled and installed. The ends of ears 36 are clear of the plate 12 far enough to permit the same to be inserted into the gate slots so as to cause axles 37 to be pivotally supported on such ears. The assembly is then inserted into the chute 18 at the upper opening 43 thereof. An ear 46 provided on the upper end of plate 12 is positioned on the upper edge of wall 48, whereby the assembly is releasably supported in proper position on the chute. After the plate 12 is so positioned with the gate 10 overlying the end of the chute, the clip 14 is clipped over both the plate 12 and wall 39 to hold the assembly in place. No tools are required for such an installation.

In case of initial factory installations of the gate 10 on new equipment, it would be possible to hinge the gate directly to the wall 48 in the appropriate position.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coin return apparatus including a coin return 40 chute and coin receiving means mounted at one end of said chute, the combination of: a hinge plate having a bent-over ear extending therefrom, said plate being mounted in said chute so that the ear is at said one end of said chute, and a one-way gate having means thereon in hinged engagement with said ear, said gate being free 'to swing outward into said coin receiving means, said gate being blocked from movement inward into said chute by said gate bearing against said hinge plate, and means releasably attaching an upper portion of said hinge plate on to a wall of said chute.

2. In a coin return apparatus, according to claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprises a spring clip.

3. In a coin return apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said hinge plate includes a bent-over ear extending from one end of said plate into engagement with a wall at the upper end of said chute to properly position said hinge plate in place with said gate overlying said one end of the chute.

4. In a coin return apparatus including a coin return chute having an upper wall, an upper end and a lower discharge end, the combination of: a hinge plate formed for mating engagement with the upper wall of said chute; means for supporting and attaching said hinge plate to the upper wall of the chute, a bent-over ear extending from said hinge plate at the lower end of said chute; a one-way gate having an axle pivotally engaging said ear, said gate being free to swing outward from said chute, and said gate being blocked from movement with said chute by said gate bearing against said hinge plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,182,962 5/1916 Beck et a1 23244 1,430,307 9/1922 Halley 23233 2,029,113 1/1936 Mills 23257.5 2,194,226 3/1940 Holdren 232l'7 3,116,013 12/1963 Eno 23257.S

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Examiner. 

1. IN A COIN RETURN APPARATUS INCLUDING A COIN RETURN CHUTE AND COIN RECEIVING MEANS MOUNTED AT ONE END OF SAID CHUTE, THE COMBINATION OF: A HINGE PLATE HAVING A BENT-OVER EAR EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID PLATE BEING MOUNTED IN SAID CHUTE SO THAT THE EAR IS AT SAID ONE END OF SAID CHUTE, AND A ONE-WAY GATE HAVING MEANS THEREON IN HINGED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID EAR, SAID GATE BEING FREE TO SWING OUTWARD INTO SAID COIN RECEIVING MEANS, SAID GATE BEING BLOCKED FROM MOVEMENT INWARD INTO SAID CHUTE BY SAID GATE BEARING AGAINST SAID HINGE PLATE, AND MEANS RELEASABLY ATTACHING AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID HINGE PLATE ON TO A WALL OF SAID CHUTE. 